Ezekiel 19

1 “Now you, take up a lamentation against the leaders of Israel

“And as for you, take up a lament over the leaders of Israel,

2 and say, 'Who was your mother? A lioness, she lived with a lion's son; in the midst of young lions, she nurtured her cubs.

and you shall say: Why did your mother, the lioness, recline among the male lions, and raise her little ones in the midst of young lions?

3 She is the one who raised up one of her cubs to become a young lion, a lion who learned to tear apart his victims, and then he devoured men.

And she led away one of her little ones, and he became a lion. And he learned to seize prey and to consume men.

4 Then the nations heard about him. He was caught in their trap, and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.

And the Gentiles heard about him, and they seized him, but not without receiving wounds. And they led him away in chains to the land of Egypt.

5 Then she saw that although she had waited for his return, her expectation was now gone, so she took another of her cubs and raised him to become a young lion.

Then, when she had seen that she was weakened, and that her hope had perished, she took one of her little ones, and appointed him as a lion.

6 This young lion roamed about in the midst of lions. He was a young lion and learned to tear his victims; he devoured men.

And he advanced among the lions, and he became a lion. And he learned to seize prey and to devour men.

7 He seized their widows and ruined their cities. The land and its fullness were abandoned because of the sound of his roaring.

He learned to make widows, and to lead their citizens into the desert. And the land, with its plenitude, was made desolate by the voice of his roaring.

8 But the nations came against him from the surrounding provinces; they spread their nets over him. He was caught in their trap.

And the Gentiles came together against him, on every side, from the provinces, and they spread their net over him; by their wounds, he was captured.

9 With hooks they put him in a cage and then they brought him to the king of Babylon. They brought him to the strongholds so that his voice would no longer be heard on the mountains of Israel.

And they put him into a cage; they led him in chains to the king of Babylon. And they cast him into a prison, so that his voice would no longer be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

10 Your mother was like a vine planted in your blood beside the water. it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundance of water.

Your mother is like a vine, in your blood, planted by the water; her fruit and her branches have increased because of many waters.

11 It had strong branches that were used for rulers' scepters, and its size was exalted above the branches, and its height was seen by the greatness of its foliage.

And her strong branches were made into scepters for the rulers, and her stature was exalted among the branches. And she saw her own loftiness among the multitude of her branches.

12 But the vine was uprooted in fury and thrown down to the earth, and an eastern wind dried out its fruit. Its strong branches were broken off and withered and fire consumed them.

But she was uprooted in wrath, and cast upon the ground. And the burning wind dried up her fruit. Her robust branches withered and were dried up. A fire consumed her.

13 So now it is planted in the wilderness, in a land of drought and thirst.

And now she has been transplanted into the desert, into a land impassable and dry.

14 For fire went out from her large branches and consumed its fruit. There is no strong branch on it, no scepter to rule.' This is a lamentation and will be sung as a lamentation.”

And a fire has gone forth from a rod of her branches, which has consumed her fruit. And there is no strong branch in her to become a scepter for the rulers. This is a lamentation, and it shall be a lamentation.”